HOW TO BE A STAR AT HOW TO BE A STAR AT WORKWORK

A Work-Strategy A Work-Strategy Blueprint to Boost Blueprint to Boost Your ProductivityYour Productivity

Robert E. Kelley

You probably know a star or two where you work – colleagues who seem to be more productive, more effective, more together. They sail their way to the top. They set the standards everyone else has to follow. How do they do it?

What sets star performers apart is they know how to use what they have. Do you?

YOU CAN!

Star performance offers other benefits besides an enviable

reputation. Money, for instance. Stars get rewarded for carrying the team. Other teams want them, so stars

have more employment options. And because they

know how to do more in less time, they have life beyond

work.

Read this summary to learn how to get stellar results by changing your daily behavior. Stars are made, not born. If you have the drive to make it happen, you too can be a STAR.

Look for Opportunities to Exercise Your Initiative

Stretch beyond your job description. Look for solutions for small local problems. As you gain experience, you’ll be able to tackle bigger issues that affect the company’s bottom line.

Help out your co-workers, your team, your department. Your initiative must benefit someone other than you or it isn’t an initiative.

Stick to your idea from start to finish. Rally the resources you’ll need.

Accept the risk involved. You’ll be staking your reputation on your initiative & occasionally rocking the boat. That means you’ll make enemies. Learn to live with it.

Show a little initiative. Better yet, show a lot. Doing your job, even doing it well, isn’t enough.

Develop Effective Work Habits to Increase Your Value

Stay on the critical path. Critical path leads to happy customers, profitability, & increased shareholder value. If you don’t see any critical path connections in the work you’re doing, find tasks that do.

Get into the flow. What distinguishes star performers is that they know when & how they are most productive. To achieve flow, you must first enjoy & find meaning in your work. Then you need to create a work environment that provides enough mental space to concentrate.

Practice self-management. Review your productivity level on a regular basis (whatever works for you). Plan ahead for for crises.

Star performers don’t just manage their time, they manage their careers. They make sure that what they do & how they do it add value to their employers.

Put Together an Expert Network

You can’t be a star alone. You need other people, now more than ever before.

Networking Etiquette

1. Learn what networking partners expect.

2. Choose your partners wisely.

3. Network before you need to.

4. Don’t try to create a network through cold calling.

5. Do your homework.

6. Credit lavishly.

7. Get up-to-speed fast.

8. To take, you must give.

See Issues as Others See Them

You can see a big picture better when you look at it from different angles.

The Five CsCustomer perspective. Your job has an impact on customers. Talk with your customers to better understand their needs & motivations.Colleague perspective. Instead of being defensive, listen to what your colleagues say. They may have useful advice you can use to improve your work.Competitor perspective. Do you know who your competitors are & how you stand up to them?Company-management perspective. Learn to think like a CEO. This means knowing what your organization’s goals are, which are most important, & how your work fits into them.Creative dissonance perspective. Step outside your field and draw ideas from other disciplines. Think cross functionally.

Use Teams to Your Best Advantage

Before you decide whether to be a team player or solo flyer, find out what approach works best for star status at your company.

Check for company support. Start at the top down to your own department. If teamwork is both valued & necessary at your company, you will be expected to join many teams. Learn to choose wisely & participate effectively.

Make the right decision. Exercise judgment & control. If you think you’re wrong for an assignment, explain why & suggest a qualified candidate to replace you on the team.

Play an active role. Once you commit to a team, be proactive. Work with the team leader to influence both the composition & the direction of the group.

Be the Kind of Follower Leaders Want

Followers contribute about 90% to the success of any organizational outcome-leaders, only 10%.

Sheep followers. These people are passive & completely dependent. They do what they are told, & no more.

Yes-people. They’re dependent but they participate enthusiastically.

Alienated followers. These independent thinkers once were active participants, but at some point they become disillusioned by someone or something.

Pragmatic followers. They do what it takes to survive. Usually, this means they take the safest route possible, even if it means sacrificing their own good ideas.

STAR FOLLOWERS. The kind leaders know they can depend upon. Competent, conscientious, cooperative.

Be the Kind of Follower Leaders Want

Followers contribute about 90% to the success of any organizational outcome-leaders, only 10%.

QUALITIES OF STAR FOLLOWERS: Make leaders’ job easier. Offer input or information while there is still time for

them to act on it. If you & your leader disagree on an issue, get your

facts straight before making your case. Use persuasion, not threats. Have the courage to stand up for what you believe is

right even though speaking out may mean losing your job.

Be prepared to stand alone.

Earn Your Status as a Leader

People make good leaders because of their expertise, people skills, or ability to get something done.

o Expert Leaders. Most teams are made up of experts whose knowledge complements each other.

o People Persons. They earn their leadership status by working in the trenches with teammates not by sending orders down from the top.

o Momentum Builders. Individuals who know how to jump-start a project & see it through to the end.

Learn the Unwritten Rules of the Game

Call it street smarts, call it organizational savvy. It’s no mystery. It’s a skill you can learn.

Check out the landscape. Learn where the real power is in your company by

paying attention. Every company has its own personality or culture. Look

for clues everywhere. Learn the accepted practice before charging in. Volunteering for committees & assignments is a good

way to learn more about your company.Create your own niche. Develop expertise that others don’t have but

need.

Communicate Your Message Effectively

Whenever you do a presentation, tailor your message to your audience.

Craft your speech around your audience’s needs, not your own. Make it interesting & relevant.

Keep props to a minimum. Use them to enhance, not dominate your presentation.

Star performance can’t cure a miserable work situation. You may be in the wrong company, have the wrong job, or work for the wrong boss. At best, your work will go unnoticed and unrewarded. At worst, you’ll find obstacles deliberately placed in your path.

If you’re in such a situation now, you have several choices.

You could try to change your boss’s mind or improve the company’s culture. Both may take more time & energy than you have.

Alternatively, you could change jobs or bosses within the company until you find a better fit. If this isn’t possible, look for a job at another company. These may be your best options.

Whatever you do, don’t stay in a bad situation that impedes your productivity. FIND A WORKLACE THAT LETS YOUR STAR

SHINE !

What to Do if It’s Too Dark to Shine

Presented by Gerbie Rose Argañosa WG&A-Passage Call Center